US 5,259,758 A · Industrial oven with expandable surfaces

Abstract

An industrial oven has insulated walls and insulated doors each including an inner shell connected to an outer shell by a plurality of pins extending through oversized holes in sheet metal plates forming the inner shell. The metal plates are simple metal sheets which can be easily sheared to size. The pins can compensate for significant misalignment between the inner and outer shells and do not require any modification of the insulation layers prior to mounting on the pins. Measures are also taken to permit expansion of the floor and air distribution system without requiring complex interconnections of the floor plates or of the air distribution system to the oven walls. Elements which are exposed to both hot and cold temperatures are designed so as not to warp or buckle under the temperature differentials between the inner and outer shells of each oven wall.

Claims16

Dependent claims

An industrial oven comprising:

(A) a floor;
(B) a roof;
and
(C) first and second walls connected to said floor and said roof and defining a heated chamber therebetween, each of said first and second walls and said roof including
(i) an outer shell,
(ii) a layer of insulation disposed between said outer shell and said chamber,
(iii) an inner shell including a plurality of generally planar metal plates disposed between said insulation layer and said chamber, wherein spaces are formed between all adjacent plates which permit expansion of said plates without mutual contact when said chamber is heated, and wherein each of said plates has a plurality of oversized holes formed therein, and
(iv) a plurality of support pins which extend through said insulation layer and said holes and which have diameters which are significantly smaller than those of said holes so as to permit movement of said plates relative to said pins upon expansion of said plates, said pins tensioning said plates towards said insulation layer, thereby holding said plates in position.

5 more elements

An industrial oven comprising:

(A) a floor;
(B) a roof;
(C) first and second walls connected to said floor and said roof and defining a heated chamber therebetween, each of said first and second walls and said roof including
(i) an outer shell,
(ii) a layer of insulation disposed between said outer shell and said chamber,
(iii) an inner shell including a plurality of generally planar metal plates disposed between said insulation layer and said chamber, wherein spaces are formed between all adjacent plates which permit expansion of said plates without mutual contact when said chamber is heated, and wherein each of said plates has a plurality of oversized holes formed therein, and
(iv) a plurality of support pins which extend through said insulation layer and said holes and which have diameters which are significantly smaller than those of said holes so as to permit movement of said plates relative to said pins upon expansion of said plates, said pins tensioning said plates towards said insulation layer, thereby holding said plates in position;
and
(D) a door provided on one of said walls, said door including
(i) an outer shell,
(ii) a layer of insulation disposed between said outer shell and said chamber,
(iii) an inner shell including a plurality of generally planar metal door plates disposed between said insulation layer and said chamber, wherein spaces are formed between all adjacent door plates which permit expansion of said door plates without mutual contact when said chamber is heated, and wherein each of said door plates has a plurality of oversized holes formed therein, and
(iv) a plurality of support pins which extend through said insulation layer and said holes and which have diameters which are significantly smaller than those of said holes so as to permit movement of said door plates relative to said pins upon expansion of said door plates, said pins tensioning said door plates towards said insulation layer, thereby holding said door plates in position.

10 more elements

An industrial oven comprising:

(A) a floor;
(B) a roof;
(C) first and second walls connected to said floor and said roof and defining a heated chamber therebetween, each of said first and second walls and said roof including
(i) an outer shell,
(ii) a layer of insulation disposed between said outer shell and said chamber,
(iii) an inner shell including a plurality of generally planar metal plates disposed between said insulation layer and said chamber, wherein spaces are formed between all adjacent plates which permit expansion of said plates without mutual contact when said chamber is heated, and wherein each of said plates has a plurality of oversized holes formed therein, and
(iv) a plurality of support pins which extend through said insulation layer and said holes and which have diameters which are significantly smaller than those of said holes so as to permit movement of said plates relative to said pins upon expansion of said plates, said pins tensioning said plates towards said insulation layer, thereby holding said plates in position;
and
(D) an air distribution system disposed within said chamber, said air distribution system including
(i) first and second hot air duct assemblies disposed adjacent respective walls of said oven, each of which has a hot air inlet formed in an upper portion thereof and a plurality of openings formed therein which faces said chamber and which permit the passage of air out of said hot air duct assemblies and into said chamber, and
(ii) a plurality of rods suspending said hot air duct assemblies from said roof.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Industrial oven with expandable surfaces

Life of this patent

Industrial oven with expandable surfaces

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims16